Water is a scarce resource in certain areas of the world. For power plants located in such areas, there may be an insufficient amount of freely available water to support plant needs. Consequently, power plants have obtained water from other sources, such as rivers or wells. Some power plants have resorted to extracting and desalinizing ocean or brackish water. However, the lack of available water in some areas has dissuaded local decision-makers from building power plants.
The dependence of a power plant on water can restrict the geographic possibilities for power plants to those areas where water is locally available, a permit can be obtained, and/or there is a reduced possibility of intervention from environmental interests. Thus, there is a need for system that can minimize these restrictions and expand the geographic potential for power plant sites irrespective of local water availability.